Can You Eat That Striped Bass From the Hudson River? · Can You Eat That Striped Bass From the...

Can You Eat That Striped Bass From the Hudson?

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Striped bass are one of the most well-known fish in the entire Hudson River, prized by generations of fishermen. Most anglers consider striped bass “ocean fish,” believing they spend only a short portion of their lives in the Hudson River during their annual spring spawning run. This is why they think that striped bass are not contaminated with PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), compared to other Hudson River fish.

The truth is that some striped bass stay in the Hudson, especially between Troy and Catskill, for much longer than their spawning run. The results of testing over many decades show that these striped bass have PCB levels often three to four times higher than other striped bass found south of the Rip Van Winkle Bridge in Catskill. Researchers have followed the movement of striped bass in the river by tagging them and discovered there is a “resident population” that stays in the Hudson River all year round. How do you know if the striped bass you catch is one of those resident fish? The answer is - you don’t!

For this reason, the NYS Department of Health (NYS DOH) has a “do not eat” advisory on recreationally caught striped bass between Troy and Catskill and other restrictions south of Catskill (see page 3). This advisory has been in effect for more than 20 years.

Each year, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC) collects fish and analyzes them for chemical contamination, and the New York State Department of Health (NYS DOH) reviews the data and sets consumption advice. For a complete listing of fish consumption advice for New York State, visit: www.health.ny.gov/fish.

This graphic represents the percentage of striped bass that exceed 1 ppm (part per million) of PCBs sampled in the Hudson River at Troy and Catskill in any given year between 2007 and 2015. One ppm is a health protective guideline used by NYS DOH for setting PCB based fish advisories. Check out the rest of this packet for more details and a “deeper dive” into the data.

What are the chances of catching a striped bass with more than 1 part per million (ppm) of PCBs?

Troy (Spring Season)

30-50%

Troy (Fall Season)

85-100% 3-21%

Catskill (Spring Season)

below1 ppm

above or equal to 1 ppm

- Your Health and Eating Fish with PCBs

Page 3 - Advice on Eating Striped Bass - Hudson River, New York City, and Long Island

Page 4 - Hudson River Striped Bass PCB Levels Higher Than Other Waters

Page 5 - More Recent Data: Average Striped Bass PCB Levels Consistent Over a Decade

Page 6 - Tagging Study Shows Some Striped Bass Stay in the Hudson River

Page 7 - Different PCB Levels, Different Advice

Page 8-9 - What is Your Chance of Catching a High PCB Striped Bass?

Page 10 - 1986: Snapshot of Past PCB Levels

Page 11 - By Popular Request - How Old is my Fish? Striped Bass Average Length at Age

Table of Contents

Your Health and Eating Fish with PCBs Anglers often fish from a limited set of waters and tend to return to their favorite fishing locations. When fish in those waters have higher contaminant levels, those who eat them can have higher contaminant exposures.

Striped bass anglers who fish between Troy and the Rip Van Winkle Bridge in Catskill have a much higher chance of catching a striped bass with PCB levels well above the recommended NYS DOH guidelines. This means people who regularly eat fish from this section of the river could be exposed to more PCBs than people who regularly eat fish from lower reaches of the Hudson River, like Catskill and Kingston.

While you may not notice a change in your health after eating one fish meal with high levels of PCBs, PCBs can remain in the body. The “half-life” of many PCBs in the human body is around 10-15+ years, meaning that if you eat a fish meal with PCBs today, half of those PCBs will likely still be in your body 10-15 years later.

Long-term exposure could increase the risk for reproductive health effects (such as changes in sperm quality and longer time to pregnancy), birth defects and possibly cancer. For more in-depth information about how PCBs can affect human health, see the additional resources section on the back page.

We encourage anglers to follow the NYS DOH advice to get the benefits of eating fish while protecting against the harmful effects of chemicals that may be present.

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3

Newburgh

George Washington Bridge

Federal Dam

AlbanyRensselaer

Greene

Columbia

Ulster

Dutchess

Orange

Putnam

Westchester

Rockland

TroyAlbany

CatskillHudson

Rip Van Winkle Bridge

Kingston

Peekskill

Mario Cuomo Bridge (formerly Tappan Zee Bridge)

NYC Battery

Suffolk

NassauQueens

Kings

Richmond

Hud

son

Rive

r

Atlantic Ocean

Long Island Sound

Gardiners Bay

Block Island SoundBronx

Jamaica Bay

Raritan Bay

Wolfe’s Pond Park

* For a more detailed map of NYC waters, please visit: www.health.ny.gov/fish/NYC

Throgs Neck Bridge

Advice on Eating Striped BassHudson River, New York City, and Long Island

Location Men over 15 and Women over 50

Women under 50 and Children

under 15

East River to Throgs Neck Bridge, Harlem River, Raritan Bay, west of Wolfe’s Pond Park, Upper New York Bay north of Verrazano Narrows Bridge

Up to 1 meal/month DON’T EAT

Arthur Kill, Kill Van Kull & Newark Bay DON’T EAT DON’T EAT

Atlantic Ocean, Jamaica Bay, Long Island Sound, Lower New York Bay south of Verrazano Narrows Bridge, Raritan Bay east of Wolfe’s Pond Park (and other Long Island waters)

Up to 4 meals/month

Up to 1 meal/month

Hudson River

NYC Area Waters

Location Men over 15 and Women over 50

Women under 50 and Children

under 15

From Federal Dam at Troy to Rip Van Winkle Bridge at Catskill

DON’T EAT DON’T EAT

From Rip Van Winkle Bridge at Catskill to NYC Battery

Up to 1 meal/month DON’T EAT

Hudson River striped bass PCB levels are shown at left with the grey background. The Hudson River data is from 2005 and 2006 but these levels are still representative of PCB levels in striped bass today. The data from the other waters is from 1998-2005 as noted.

Between Poughkeepsie and NYC the (first two bars from left), the average PCB levels in striped bass are similar to those found in other East Coast rivers with PCB contamination. Levels shown for Troy (third and fourth bar from left) are almost double those found lower in the Hudson River, and striped bass collected in the fall from Troy (fifth and sixth bars from left) have total PCB levels seven to nine times higher than those found further south during the spring.

At a Glance• PCB levels in striped bass

from the Hudson River are much higher than other East Coast Rivers.

• As shown in this graph, average levels of PCBs in striped bass sampled in Troy during the spring are almost double those found further south from Poughkeepsie to New York City.

• These data show why no one should eat striped bass caught between the Federal Dam in Troy and the Rip Van Winkle Bridge in Catskill. PCB levels in striped bass are lower downstream of Catskill (for example, Poughkeepsie).

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Hudson River Striped Bass PCB Levels Higher Than Other Waters

Average Striped Bass PCBs in the Hudson River vs. Other East Coast Rivers

Adapted from Figure 2-3 of the Interstate Workgroup on Evaluating Atlantic Coastal Advisories for Recreationally Caught Striped Bass and Bluefish based on PCBs - 10/1/2008. Fish were caught in spring or early summer unless otherwise noted. A link to this paper is provided on the back page.

Hudson River Other East Coast Rivers

0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

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PCB

s (p

pm)

Avg. PCB (ppm)

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

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4

Troy Fall Troy Spring Catskill Poughkeepsie Haverstraw/Mario Cuomo Bridge/Croton Bay

George WashingtonBridge

PCBs

(ppm

)

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2013 2014 2015

Sampling Loca�on

Data provided by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

This graph shows Hudson River striped bass average PCB data from 2007-2015 organized by location from north to south. PCB levels are the highest in striped bass caught in the fall (Oct/Nov) near Troy. NYS DOH continues to evaluate Hudson River fish PCB levels on an annual basis as data from the NYS DEC become available.

At a Glance

• Troy striped bass PCB levels remain consistently high; levels are lower south of Catskill.

• The average PCB levels in this graph are similar to the 2005 and 2006 data shown on page 4.

• PCB levels in fish can vary a lot by location even within a single year. These fluctuations can be caused by many environmental factors, including access to food (which affects fat levels in fish) and weather-related factors (flooding, storms, and temperature).

• The same NYS DOH striped bass advisory for the Hudson River has been in effect for more than 20 years.

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More Recent Data: Average Striped Bass PCB Levels Consistent Over a Decade

Average PCB Levels in Hudson River Striped Bass by Location 2007-2015

Troy in Fall Troy in Spring Catskill Poughkeepsie Haverstraw/Mario Cuomo Bridge/Croton Bay


Sampling Location

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

Troy Fall Troy Spring Catskill Poughkeepsie Haverstraw/Mario Cuomo Bridge/Croton Bay

George WashingtonBridge

PCBs

(ppm

)

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2013 2014 2015

Sampling Loca�on

PCBs

(ppm

)

This study used acoustic telemetry (a type of tagging) to track striped bass before, during and after their spawning run. Shown here are three snapshots of the different groups of fish in May and June during and after the spawning season. See key at left for color coding. Links to this study and an animation of fish movement are provided on the back page of this packet. 6

Striped Bass Habitat Use and Migrations in the Hudson River Estuary

May 18, 2011“The great mixing”

Newburgh

GW Bridge

Federal Dam, Troy

Albany

Rensselaer

Greene

Columbia

UlsterDutchess

Orange Putnam

Westchester

Rockland

Catskill

May 29, 2011Groups begin

separating

Newburgh

GW Bridge

Federal Dam, Troy

Albany

Rensselaer

Greene

Columbia

UlsterDutchess

Orange Putnam

Westchester

Rockland

Catskill

June 9, 2011Upper estuary group remains in river, lower

estuary group moves into NY Harbor

Newburgh

GW Bridge

Federal Dam, Troy

Albany

Rensselaer

GreeneColumbia

UlsterDutchess

Orange Putnam

Westchester

Rockland

Catskill

At a Glance• Recent studies have

shown a “resident” population of striped bass (in red) that stay in the Hudson River for longer than previously thought.

• These “resident fish” mix in with the spring run between Troy and Catskill and can have very high PCB levels (see graphs on pages 7-9).

• PCB data from striped bass collected in the fall support this idea of a resident group staying in the river.

Research supported by Hudson River Foundation. Gahagan, B.I., D.A. Fox, and D.H. Secor. Partial migration of striped bass: Revisiting the contingent hypothesis. Marine Ecology Progress Series. Vol. 525: 185–197, 2015

Migration Studies: Striped Bass Habitat Use and Migrations in the Hudson River Estuary

Tagging Study Shows Some Striped Bass Stay in Hudson River

= Upper Estuary Group (red fish)• Primarily stays in Hudson River System• Tagged in Fall 2009 in Upper Estuary

= Lower Estuary Group (green fish)• Spawns in upper estuary then returns to NY Harbor• Tagged in Fall 2009 in Lower Estuary

= Ocean Group (blue fish)• Primarily comes into Hudson to spawn• Tagged in Spring 2010 in Upper Estuary

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At a Glance• Regardless of the time of year, especially in Troy,

you could catch a fish with PCB levels greater than 1 ppm (parts per million). Since you can’t know what the levels of PCBs are in your specific fish, we recommend following the NYS DOH advice to reduce your risk.

• To help put these PCB levels into perspective for this packet, generally, a “don’t eat” advisory for everyone may be issued when fish average over 2 ppm2 ppm PCBs.

• When sampled fish average between 1 ppm1 ppm and 2 ppm2 ppm PCBs, a “don’t eat” advisory for women of childbearing age and children and 1 meal/month advisory for men and older women may be issued.

• However, NYS DOH doesn’t just use numerical guidelines to set fish advice. Other factors are considered such as number of fish sampled, years of available data, and balancing the benefits of fish consumption versus the risks of exposure.

• For more information on how we set advisories, visit: www.health.ny.gov/fish/background.htm.

• For more information on health effects, see the resources listed on the back page of this packet.

Different PCB Levels, Different Advice

PCBs in Individual Striped Bass, 2013 Troy (Fall and Spring) Advisory = everyone DON’T EAT

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Cats

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kill

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kill

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kill

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kill

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kill

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PCBs

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How Variable are PCB levels in Striped Bass in One Year?Total PCBs in Striped Bass, Spring & Fall 2013

Troy - Fall Troy - Spring

Each Bar = PCBs in One FishSampling Location

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kill

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kill

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kill

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kill

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kill

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kill

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hkee

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(ppm

)


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Dam

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Fall

Troy

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Troy

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Troy

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Dam

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kill

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kill

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kill

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kill

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kill

Cats

kill

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kill

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PCBs in Individual Striped Bass, 2013 Catskill to NYC (Spring)Advisory = Men over 15 and Women over 50 can eat up to 1 meal/month

Each Bar = PCBs in One Fish Sampling Location

PCBs

(ppm

)

PCBs

(ppm

)


8

At a Glance• All along the Hudson River,

striped bass can contain very high levels of PCBs.

• In general, there is less chance of catching a high PCB fish south of Catskill.

• This pattern persists year after year (see two additional years on page 9).

• Fish sampled in this graph and the graphs on page 9 were representative of fish generally over 18 inches.

• PCB levels shown are only from the edible portion of the fish (fillet, skin, and dark belly meat - fish are not “blended whole”).

• For more information about how NYS DEC processes fish samples see the link for Of Time, PCBs and the Fish of the Hudson River on the back page.

What is Your Chance of Catching a High PCB Striped Bass?

Each bar on this graph represents the PCB levels in one fish that was sampled. In this example and on the following page, you can see that it is possible to get a high PCB fish in any of these locations. The likelihood is much higher if you are fishing north of Catskill.

The data presented in this graph is for fish between 17.4 and 38.7 inches (only 1 out of 146 fish was under 18 inches), and the average length was 25.4 inches.

PCBs in Individual Striped Bass by Location, 2015

Troy in Fall Troy in Spring Catskill Poughkeepsie Haverstraw Bay George Washington Bridge

Each Bar = PCBs in One fish Sampling Location

PCBs

(ppm

)

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9


In 2011, the fish sampled were between 17.8 and 35.0 inches (only 3 out of 131 fish were under 18 inches), and average length was 25.0 inches. In 2013, the fish sampled were between 17.8 and 38.5 inches (only 3 out of 153 fish were under 18 inches), and average length was 25.4 inches. For more information about how NYS DEC processes fish samples for PCBs, see the link for Of Time, PCBs and the Fish of the Hudson River on the back page of this packet.

What is Your Chance of Catching a High PCB Striped Bass?Pattern Persists Year After Year

What are the chances (out of ten) of catching a striped bass with over 1 ppm PCBs in different parts of the river?

Troy (Fall Season)

100%


50%


10%

2011

70%

Troy (Fall Season)

50%


5%


2013

PCBs in Individual Striped Bass, 2011

Troy in Fall

Troy in Spring Catskill Poughkeepsie Haverstraw Bay George Washington Bridge

Each Bar = PCBs in One fishSampling Location

PCBs

(ppm

)

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8PCBs in Individual Striped Bass, 2013

PCBs

(ppm

)

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Troy in Fall Troy in Spring Catskill Poughkeepsie Croton Bay George Washington Bridge

Each Bar = PCBs in One fishSampling Location

Below1 ppm

Above or equal to 1 ppm

.,,al u a.

so

40

30

20

10

0

Snap Shot of Past levels - Total PCBs in Hudson River Striped Bass Spring and Fa/11986 (Levels are for spring unless otherwise noted)

(ppm

)

Troy in

Fall

Sampling Location


Troy in Summer

CatskillRondout

Creek

Poughkeepsie Croton Pt.in Fall

Croton Pt.in Spr.

Croton Bay

in Fall

Croton Bay

in Spr.

Mario Cuomo Bridge (formerly Tappan Zee)

Data provided by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation10

At a Glance• This graph from 1986 shows how much higher PCB

levels in striped bass were 30 years ago.• Note the scale (on the left) of this graph goes up to

over 50 ppm compared to 8 ppm in the previous three graphs.

• PCB production and use by factories ended in 1977, and PCBs were banned in 1979.

• The first fish advisories for the Hudson River were issued in 1975. Excluding a few species, a full commercial fishing ban was put into effect on the entire river in 1976 to protect public health.

(Each Bar = PCBs in One fish)

Snapshot of Past Levels - Total PCBs in Hudson River Striped BassSpring and Fall 1986

By Popular Request:How Old is My Fish? Striped Bass Average Length at Age

11Data provided by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, Hudson River Fisheries Unit

At a Glance

• While this chart can’t tell you if your fish has high PCB levels, it can help you age your fish by length.

0 5 10 15 20 30 35 40 45 50

212019181716151413121110

9876543210

25

Average Length (inches)

App

roxi

mat

e Ag

e (y

ears

)

Striped Bass: Average Length at Age

Data provided by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, Hudson River Fisheries Unit

Additional Resources

More Information

NYS Fish Advisory ResourcesNYS health advice on eating fish you catch: www.health.ny.gov/fish

How NYS DOH sets advisories: www.health.ny.gov/fish/background.htm

Tips for reducing contaminants in a fish meal: www.health.ny.gov/fish/tips.htm

Health Effects of PCBsOverview of PCBs and health: www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaqs/tf.asp?id=140&tid=26

More information on cancer and non-cancer health effects of PCBs: www.epa.gov/pcbs/learn-about-polychlorinated-biphenyls-pcbs#healtheffects

In-depth review of PCB human health studies and summary of conclusions: www.atsdr.cdc.gov/csem/csem.asp?csem=30&po=10

Research on Hudson River Striped Bass MigrationsAnimation of migration study and ongoing projects by David Secor:http://fishconnectivity.cbl.umces.edu/research/hudson-river-estuary-studies

Partial migration of striped bass: revisiting the contingent hypothesisGahagan, B.I., D.A. Fox, and D.H. Secor.Marine Ecology Progress Series. Vol. 525: 185–197, 2015http://www.int-res.com/abstracts/meps/v525/p185-197/

PCB levels in East Coast Striped Bass and Bluefish (2008)Interstate Workgroup on Evaluating Atlantic Coastal Advisories for Recreationally Caught Striped Bass and Bluefish based on PCBs - 10/1/2008:www.maine.gov/dhhs/mecdc/environmental-health/eohp/fish/documents/9-08final.pdf

Older but comprehensive report of PCB levels found in striped bass along the east coast. This paper is the source of the graph comparing Hudson River striped bass PCB levels to other east coast striped bass on page 4 of this packet. There is a discussion of (older) PCB levels in different protein sources (comparing meat and fish) found on pp 162-168 of the linked pdf.

Temporal Trends and History of PCBs in Hudson River FishOf Time, PCBs and the Fish of the Hudson River:NYS DEC, Divison of Fish, Wildlife and Marine Resources, 2005.Also includes information about fillet and lab procedures in Appendix 1.https://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/remediation_hudson_pdf/hrpcbtrendrpt.pdf

Hudson River Fish Advisory Outreach ProgramNew York State Department of Health [email protected]/fishwww.health.ny.gov/hudsonriverfish

2/2020

Can You Eat That Striped Bass From the Hudson River? · Can You Eat That Striped Bass From the...

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